


Sleepless in Savannah

by Hoxooster



Category: Left 4 Dead 2
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Nellis, Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-24
Updated: 2013-09-24
Packaged: 2017-12-27 12:03:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/978624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hoxooster/pseuds/Hoxooster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ellis has a difficult time sleeping, so he decides to busy himself until he falls asleep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleepless in Savannah

This was getting to be a little more than _beyond_ the point of ridiculous. He tried laying one way, then another, counting sheep, naming all of the parts in a combustible engine... Hell, he had been staring up at the ceiling for what felt like hours, and yet he **still** couldn't fall asleep.

With a small huff of annoyance, Ellis finally conceded defeat and carefully rolled out of bed.

Lord knew that he had tried his best to not bother Nick with his restlessness while the other man slept beside him, as he valued his life far too much to gamble it. So, if he couldn't slip into dreamland, he may as well do something quietly in another room until he was tired enough to lay back down.

Stepping in a tense tip-toe with a held breath, the hick snaked his way around the bed and over to the door, easing it almost all the way closed behind him once he was past it. A small, relieved sigh left him as he walked down the hallway normally and headed towards the living room.

The older man hadn't moved or made a sound as he left, so it seemed that he was in the clear.

As soon as he reached the couch, he plopped down none to gently upon it and fished around in the basket on the coffee table for the remote. Grasping and pulling it up with a small sound of triumph, the mechanic pointed the controller at the television and turned it on, quickly pressing on the lower volume button to decrease the sound.

After flipping through quite a number of channels with disinterest, he finally decided to just watch a documentary on lions as it, ironically, seemed to be both the most interesting and boring show on for him to watch. Hopefully, the monotone voice of the narrator would put him to sleep, so he sprawled out on his back on the couch to help it along, and set himself on giving it his full attention.

But even then, ten minutes or so later, he was still feeling just as alert as before. Thank God, tomorrow was his day off.

Or was it already today?

He shrugged it off and chose not to think about it. Looking at a clock now would probably just depress him.

Sadly, the show really was mind-numbingly boring, as it seemed to like giving viewers a play-by-play of what the lions were doing, which was laying around in the shade, rather than talk about interesting facts or showing more intriguing scenes, like stalking and hunting prey. Despite being a very patient man, it was actually starting to grate on his nerves a bit. If he wanted to listen to reserved, almost condescending commentary, he would've stayed on the golfing program a few channels back.

Just as he was starting to consider stretching out to pick up the remote again and surf through whatever was on for something better to watch, Ellis heard something that sounded suspiciously like a yawn come from the hallway.

Sure enough, when he snapped his head back to center to look past his feet at the other end of the couch, he saw Nick standing under the arch leading further into the house.

The conman rubbed at his eyes with a hand for a few moments, before forcefully blinking them a few times to make himself more alert, but still looking just as half-asleep as before.

Ellis crinkled his brow in concern and said softly, "Hey, Nick. What're you doin' up? You should be sleepin'."

Nick made a tired snort and leaned his shoulder against the wall, crossed his arms, and raised an eyebrow as he responded with, "So should you, Overalls."

The Georgian propped himself up on his elbows and shook his head with a small smile. "Can't sleep. Thought I'd do somethin' quiet-like 'til I could, ya know? I didn't wanna bother you with my tossin' an' turnin'." He tilted his head to the side and tried asking his question again. "So... Why're you up, cap'n? I thought that I got outta there without wakin' you."

The gambler just made a small hum in the back of his throat as he pushed himself off the wall and advanced further into the room. Nick didn't stop moving until he stood over Ellis, pressed a hand on the younger man's chest to make him lay flat again, and maneuvered himself to lay on top of the redneck.

Ellis just laid there, confused, while the older man nudged and pushed and pulled on various parts of his body so they could lie there together comfortably, only speaking after the conman finished off by nuzzling his face against his neck. "Nick?..."

The card shark hummed again, then finally breathed out as he fell back asleep, "Can't sleep without you near me, kid..."

Ellis blinked in surprise, before slowly smiling as the shock faded away. Reaching out a fumbling hand, he picked the controller up off of the coffee table and blindly turned the television off, too busy staring fondly at his lover, then nuzzling against the side of the other man's face in the dark once he dropped the remote on the floor. Curling slightly up towards and around the conman, he buried his nose against Nick's shoulder and closed his eyes, falling asleep fairly quickly, despite his earlier insomnia.

With a final thought, as the blanket of sleep slipped heavily over him, he mused, _'This is the secret, right here. Just Nick. Just Nick...'_


End file.
